A first episode of psychosis is a higher risk time for acts of self-harm and of violence, and a chance to engage people, modify risk factors and change outcomes. Two related meta-analyses by Large, Neilssen and Challis are presented in a letter in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. They summarise two studies [read the full story…]
Implant–supported restorations show good success rates in healthy tissues while studies in irradiated jaws contrasting outcomes have been reported. The aim of this review was to assess the survival rate of titanium implants placed in irradiated jaws. The Medline, Embase, and CENTRAL, and OpenGRAY databases were searched together with a number of journals (Clinical Implant [read the full story…]
Postpartum haemorrhages are serious birth complications that represent one of the leading causes of maternal mortality and morbidity. While incidences of postpartum haemorrhages have risen steadily in the past decades (in the US alone, numbers increased from 2.3% to 2.9% from 1994 to 2006), there is little evidence as to why. Antidepressants – especially selective [read the full story…]
There is increasing interest in the levels of tooth wear being seen with a recent systematic review suggesting that between 10-30% of children have signs of established wear ( Dental Elf Sept 2011) . The aim of this study was to determine prevalence of tooth wear on the oral and facial surfaces in 18– 35 year [read the full story…]
A cohort study published in JAMA tried to answer the question what are the risk factors for suicide in the US military. This is a hot topic as the rate of suicide has increased in US military personnel from about 11/100,000 people in 2005 to about 18/100,000 so that now deaths from suicide outnumber deaths [read the full story…]
While most people would likely associate tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) with more common adverse effects such as dry mouth, sedation and constipation, there is some evidence to suggest increased occurrence of bone fractures (Vestergaard, Rejnmark, & Mosekilde, 2006). However, the topic remains controversial and conflicting results about the association of TCAs and fracture risk abound (e.g. [read the full story…]
Bipolar disorder is considered a hereditary condition. There is emerging evidence that prodromes/early symptoms are evident in children before disorders develop. This potentially offers a chance to treat and prevent the development of mental health problems in adulthood. Being able to identifying early symptoms of the onset of this mental health disorder is clearly important, however, [read the full story…]
The prevalence of autistic spectrum disorders has risen dramatically in the last thirty years, with recent estimates suggesting that 1 in 88 children in the United States have an autistic spectrum disorder. This increasing prevalence could simply be due to changes in the diagnosis of such disorders and so be of little interest. However, there [read the full story…]
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder that leads to the overproduction and accumulation of mucus in the lungs, which can result in airway obstruction and life-threatening bacterial. Four risk factors related to CF are considered to increase the risk of dental caries; a 20- fold increase in intraoral Streptococcus mutans levels; gastroesophageal reflux disease [read the full story…]
The risks of congenital malformations and impact of cognitive development after foetal exposure to anti-epileptic drugs has been known for some time. Sodium valproate is a frequently used drug for epilepsy and other disorders (including bipolar disorder and migraine). The researchers aimed to examine the link between foetal exposure and subsequent development of autism. Methods [read the full story…]
